This invention is directed to beaming machines, and particularly such machines used for winding beams used in Raschel knitting machines. Although beaming machines (sometimes called beamers) are well known in the art, such machines have typically either wound only one beam at a time or two beams with the identical traverse movement and therefore identical or nearly identical end count. It has not been possible in prior art machines including those made by the Mayer Company (West Germany) to simultaneously wind more than one beam with different traverse movements on the same beaming machine.
It has also been impossible on prior art beamers to overcome the tension variations between the yarn creel and beam for different yarn ends so that each end is wound on the beam at nearly the same tension. The present invention through use of a pair of rollers over which the incoming yarn ends travel is able to provide a virtually identical yarn tension for each end wound on each beam. The yarn tensions for different beams may be varied from one another.
It has also been a common problem in beaming machines to detect yarn breakage. Typically each yarn end was passed through a hole in a pivotal mechanical switch member so as to detect the presence of the yarn end. If a yarn end broke, the switch member would swing down and make contact with a mating member to close the switch and initiate shutdown of the beamer. These devices have traditionally been beset with problems including the amount of set-up or doffing time required to initiate the winding of a beam as well as occasional failure to stop the machine when a yarn break occurred. This latter condition is especially prevalent when texturized yarns are wound since such yarns contain a small amount of oil which is slowly deposited on the switch member. This accumulated oil can occasionally insulate the switch member and prevent it from making electrical contact.
The present invention overcomes these difficulties by eliminating the use of such yarn end mechanical switch members. It performs yarn breakage sensing by means of air sheets individually projected upwardly along the incoming yarn sheet for each beam so that a break in any yarn end breaks a light beam which is then detected by a photoelectric device causing an orderly shutdown of the beamer. Although photoelectric devices have been utilized in knitting machines, they have not been previously utilized in beamers. Furthermore, the present invention carries the pressurized air used in forming the air sheet by means of conduits formed within the beamer frame. This technique saves space in the machine and consequently makes operator handling easier.